Calistria (pronounced kah-LISS-tree-ah)[1] is a goddess of many faces and guises, including lust and revenge. She is held in especially high regard by elves, who often identify her moods and attitude with that of their people. A fondness of wasps has earned this vengeful deity the title the Savored Sting; such creatures live on after harming their enemies, a trait to be emulated should one seek to inflict pain on another.[2]

Contents

History

Calistria is not only vengeful, but vindictive when she has been wronged by another; she will take her time returning such disfavor, maneuvering in order to attain the best position from which to savor her retribution. Her trysts are well documented and often near legendary, though conflicting sources result in difficulty should one attempt to discern those tales based in truth from those that are nothing more than fantasy.[2]

Relationships

Calistria is seen as a desirable partner by a number of her divine contemporaries, and stories of her trysts can be found in numerous holy texts. One such tale claims Cayden Cailean's rise to divinity was the result of a failed attempt to win the attention of the Unquenchable Fire, who is said to have denied the sellsword's advances on the basis of his mortality.[2]

Appearance and Emissaries

Calistria usually appears as a female elf of otherworldly beauty, arrayed in seductive dress of flowing yellow silks. These gowns do little to hide her lithe and graceful form, and she is often depicted in the company of giant wasps.[2]

Servants

Calistria holds wasps of all varieties in high regard, and those that displease the Savored Sting may find themselves plagued by swarms of the insects. Alternatively, one that pleases the goddess of lust may find themselves succeeding in pursuits of the flesh, the focus of such attentions unknowingly serving as an expression of her favor.[2]

This slender elven looking woman, with ragged insectile wings is a seductress and faithful servant of the Savored Sting, though her kind are often mistaken for succubi, they do not have the reprehensible maliciousness of those demons.[3]

Appearing as a huge bear-sized black wasp, the Menotherian can also attain the form of a stunning elven beauty. She is the personification of Calistria's lust, vindictivenss and deceptive aspects aswell as her Herald and most loyal servant. [4]

Church of Calistria

The faithful of Calistria can be found across Golarion, but her tenets of lust and vengeance have taken especially firm root in Absalom, Galt, Kyonin, Nex, the River Kingdoms, the Shackles, Taldor, and Varisia. The followers of the Lady in the Room fulfill varied roles wherever they are encountered, anything from spy to prostitute and beyond, but always in support of their goddesses' mercurial nature.[2] Such individuals deal in trickery and mischief, encounters of the flesh and knowledge that is both secret or dangerous, and the pursuit of these goals can often lead these faithful to wander the world in order to achieve them.[5]

Worshipers and Clergy

Elves hold Calistria in especially high regard, though she is also popular among humans and more exotic races, such as half-elves and tieflings. The faithful of the Savored Sting includes large numbers of prostitutes, thrill seekers, and spies. Her clerics usually clothe themselves in scant garb that tends toward shades of yellow, often accented by henna dyes used on their skin.[2]

Temples and Shrines

In human lands Calistria's temples host numerous sacred prostitutes and act as centers of gossip and information. In elven lands buildings dedicated to the Savored Sting more often resemble thieves guilds, and usually cater to those seeking information or retribution rather than more carnal pursuits.[2]

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